Are you woke and can you dig it?
Written with help from Tina
Woke, the word of the decade, but what does it mean and where did it come from?
It was first recognised in its political form in 1938, when Lead Belly wrote a protest song about the case of the Scottsborough boys.
The nine young black men,who had been found guilty of raping two white women, after extremely limited evidence was given during their trial. This resulting in decidedly dodgy convictions.
Belly can be heard at the begining of the track saying "I advise everybody be a little careful when they go along through there. Best stay woke, keep the eyes open".
It next appeared again in a New York Times artical in 1962 by the novelist William Melvin Kelly, titled "if you woke you dig it".
William went down in history as the granddaddy of woke after being inspired by a goverment advert he saw on a train one day using black slang.
The artical is as relevant to today as it was back then;
"The language seems to be modified in two ways, the first is to give a word, already in use it’s opposite meaning. At one time the conatations of jive were all good. Now they are bad or at least questionable. The changes go on as I write.
By some mysterious route,that unlike the above lexicon,cannot be defied or explained.
I will find ‘to vine no longer’means not to dress magnificently but rather to dress badly and the man is no longer the police." William Melven Kelly.
The Oxford definition defines Woke as "alert to injustice in society,especially racisim" coined by those original black rights activists.
Recently the newer addition to the dictionary definition was included; "stay alert, stay angry". A slogan that would not have surprised the Grandaddy of Woke himself.
Anger, being one of the ancient instinct emotions,is for a human a necessity, healthy. An essential to ward off attack, protect/gain resources and as a way to enforce social norms.
Anger allows us to adapt and survive and is a normal useful emotion.
However, on the other hand research has shown that the amygdala can block critical desicion making abilities, even to the extent of lowering IQ without the angry person being aware of their impairment.
The left leaning political movements often consider themselves to be among the Woke. This includes many of Gen Z and millennial age groups and encompasses a philosophy of "you do you" and "if it makes you happy, then do it".
That the right have been oppressing the minorities for too long and that the oppressed need freeing.
That younger folk aught to have the right to their own auntomy and access to HRT and puberty blockers for their own sake.
The left believe that we should move forward and strive to live in new ways and cast out outdated belief systems. They believe that traditional values and older methods are corrupt and outdated.
The Right, most often among the gen X leaning the politically minded are of generally the opinion that the left have gone too far, demanding the legal use of pronouns. Infringing on freedom of speech in ways that cause a danger to society.
They are of the opinion that giving the youth more power over their bodies whilst they are still in developmental stages and unable to concent is a bad idea. That the use of puberty blockers are a dangerous and abusive practice.
The right believe that things worked best when done traditionally, that it’s a tried and tested method. That society has been built on these necessary foundations and it will fall if we change things dramatically.
The truth is that both the concepts have a point in many ways and both are needed to keep a good balance in a healthy society.
Both sides often remain convinced that the other is evil and wicked, if your a lefty then your far left, and a Zelot. If your a Righty your a far right bigoted nazi.
History has taught us that such deep devision in society never leads to a positive end.
The truth is that both the concepts have a point and both are needed to keep a good balance in a healthy society.
The only way forward is to accept that negotiation is needed on both sides.
When we consider that our enemy may sometimes have points that we have not considered, that we can understand the other side better.
Aristotle once said ;
“Anybody can become angry-that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way-that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy."
